Born in Chicago, IL
Lives and works in Washington, DC
Inspired by ways we transform ourselves, I work at creating
creates glass pieces that have both visual and spatial depth. By layering
and fusing sheets of glass with overlapping elements, I strive for an
interactive commentary using simple forms with intricate glass powder
drawings. These works are a continuation of my frit powder drawings
that I have been working on for some time now. The layered compositions
allow me to make unusual juxtapositions of imagery.
My kilnformed work takes scenes and suspends them within
layers of fused, formed and coldworked sheet glass. Using crushed glass
powder to create drawings, I like to play on the elements of light,
color and also sequence. The glass powder is sifted onto glass sheets,
and by scraping and scratching the sifted black glass dust I craft my
artwork. The glass panel is then fired in an electric kiln at temperatures
up to 1600°F. This time consuming process facilitates drawn out
contemplation of often overlooked imagery.
I work hard to create some kind of meaning out of my artworks
- dream-state surrealism using figures, text and common objects, and
hint at questions. The artworks suggest meanings but they encourage
the viewers to draw their own conclusions. The work has an intrinsic
meaning for me, but they remain open to multiple interpretations. I
want to encourage the possibility of exploring meanings beyond those
I put there – I count on the viewer bringing something to the work."
I am Co-Director of the Washington Glass School in Washington,
DC, and have taught at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina and
at Istanbul’s Glass Furnace in Turkey. I first began working with
glass as an architect in Australia, where my projects received international
awards. My architectural discipline is evident my precise and detailed
‘sgraffito’ technique.
I was named ‘Outstanding Emerging Artist 2008-2009’ by the
Florida Glass Art Alliance, and was a Finalist for the Washington, DC
Mayor’s Art Award 2009. I had been included in a book on the best
of international glass art, ‘50 Distinguished Contemporary Artists
in Glass’, published in the UK. This year my work was selected
by an international jury to be featured in the Corning Glass Museum’s
‘New Glass Review’ publication. My work is in the permanent
collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Gallery Representation:
Maurine Littleton Gallery
1667 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
www.littletongallery.com
Gallery Neptune
5001 Wilson Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
www.galleryneptune.com